A Meeting Between Old Friends
by inukagome15
Summary: Part 12 of the "It's All in the Mind" series. It's been so long since Charles and Erik have met outside of a battlefield, and Charles knows that Erik wouldn't have called a meeting for anything less than something important. But despite his hopes and regrets, it's nothing more than a meeting between old friends.


**A shorter timestamp between The Price of Freedom and the wedding fic when I get that out. The reason for this fic might be apparent to those with a keen eye... It's setup for a much longer story that I haven't started yet but have outlined. It is going to be a _thrilling _ride by the time it's done (though I think you guys will be disinclined to agree).**

**For those just checking in, this is a timestamp in a _much_ larger series that focuses on the relationship between Steve and Tony and their team. That doesn't mean you can't read this, but there are background relationships and events taking place that won't make sense without context. The entire series is now over 300,000 words, which is so much longer than the small story I first started out with...**

**But to the point for this story, treat it like an after credit scene during a Marvel movie. Featuring cameos from other characters and setting up for a much larger plot.**

**Summary: **It's been so long since Charles and Erik have met outside of a battlefield, and Charles knows that Erik wouldn't have called a meeting for anything less than something important. But despite his hopes and regrets, it's nothing more than a meeting between old friends.

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><p><strong>A Meeting Between Old Friends<strong>

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><p>"Are you sure about this, Professor?"<p>

"My answer will be the same as the last several times you have asked, Scott." Charles smiled warmly at him, eyes crinkling.

Scott sighed, eyebrows furrowing in concern. "I'd hoped that you had changed your mind."

"If a little bit of time was all that was needed to change one's mind from a set path, then the world would be a very different place," Charles said, his smile turning wistful. "But in this, my mind is made up. It will be fine, Scott."

"It's not that you can't take care of yourself," Scott said slowly, "but it's who you're meeting."

"He has not asked this of me in years," Charles said softly, interlinking his fingers. "That the request came over email and not in another manner is telling of his intentions."

Scott's mouth twisted unhappily, his thoughts running in a similar direction. He was clearly unhappy with Charles's decision, but refrained from voicing many of the choicer phrases running through his head. "And you won't take one of us with you?"

"It isn't needed," Charles said. "It is simply what it is: a meeting between two old friends."

Scott raised an incredulous eyebrow, the primary thought in his head being that of how long they had actually been enemies.

But that hadn't always been the case. Charles could still so clearly remember the days when things had been – if not easier – much simpler. They had been together and had worked marvels, only for their ideological differences to tear them apart again and again. Still, Charles had always thought of Erik as a friend, no matter how tense relations between them had become.

That Erik would contact him now after so long was telling. His email, brief as it was, had contained no hint of malice or evil intentions. It had been cut and dry, simply requesting a meeting with Charles with just the two of them. They would meet somewhere private, away from the prying eyes of the people, so much more suspicious now that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been exposed as a nest of HYDRA agents.

"You'll be back before the wedding starts, won't you?" Scott asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Charles said truthfully. It had been long anticipated ever since he had seen Tony and Steve in his home, and it would be a welcome reprieve from the troubling political climate that Charles had been embroiled in since the initiation of the Superhuman Advisory Committee.

"I've never seen Logan so excited for anything," Scott said, sounding faintly amazed. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he was only going for that coffee machine."

"I'm sure that's one of his reasons," Charles said peaceably, rather thankful that Logan wasn't in earshot at the moment.

Scott sighed then, frowning again. "I still wish you would take one of us with you."

Charles maneuvered his wheelchair around the desk to rest a hand on Scott's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith. For now, I'll leave you and Jean in charge. I trust you know the schedule?"

Scott smirked now, amused despite himself. "A bit hard to miss it with Pepper Potts emailing me at all hours of the day with reminders. We'll be ready to leave. I'm just not looking forward to explaining your absence."

Charles gave him an unimpressed look.

Scott had the decency to look faintly ashamed of himself. "All right, I'm sorry. I had to try."

And that was why Charles appreciated him.

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><p>Erik had designated a remote island in the north as their meeting place, rightly assuming that Charles would have no problem going there. It was perhaps also part of the reason that Scott and Jean had both had their doubts about this meeting, but it was a move that Charles understood. Erik was recognizable among the public as the villain Magneto, and Charles had become even more of a public figure after accepting the position as a member of the SAC; meeting in a public space would not go well for either of them.<p>

Still, Charles was thankful that Logan had not been present when Charles had received the email, having been occupied with the wedding preparations in New York City. It wasn't something that Charles would ever have envisioned Logan participating in, but Logan had been present when Pepper had started the planning, and she had swept him into her whirlwind and not let him out since.

It was a feat that had the younger mutants awed, while Kitty and Rogue had merely been deeply amused (to the point of passing out from laughter) and used the opportunity for future blackmail.

The wedding was something else that Charles was looking forward to. Despite the famed status of the two grooms, the entire affair had been kept completely private to the public. It was a move that almost no one would have expected from Tony Stark, but it was understandable to those closer to the man. As it was, Pepper and Natasha had both done an absolutely remarkable job of keeping all mention of the impending marriage out of the tabloids, even employing Sam, James, and Clint to distract the paparazzi with some noteworthy stunts that made the headlines for days.

Regardless, Charles couldn't deny a meeting with Erik, his old friend. Erik wouldn't contact him for a minor matter, meaning that this had to be important. That he was doing so now after years of enmity was even more important. While Charles was not typically prone to fits of anxiety, he had to admit to himself that he was nervous about this meeting.

Whatever Erik wanted to tell him had to be nothing good.

The island that Charles landed the jet on was rocky with sparse patches of hardy grass and bushes. It was only a few miles wide, and the wind was sharp and cold with a hint of salt. The sun was at a high point in the sky when Charles moved down the ramp, only a few straggly clouds dotting the blue.

The smell of the sea hit Charles first, but second was the sight of his old friend sans the helmet that hid his thoughts from Charles. Despite the obvious invitation, Charles refrained from probing his thoughts, keeping back so that only a faint surface impression could be gleaned.

"Charles." Erik tilted his chin up, a faint smile crossing his face as he saw him.

"Erik." Charles's smile was wider, but only by a little. He moved forwards until only several feet separated them. "It is good to see you."

"For once, I admit the same." Erik's face darkened slightly. "Unfortunately, I did not call this meeting to catch up on old times."

"I gathered as much," Charles agreed, trepidation curling in his chest.

"I did not want to discuss this with you where others could hear it," Erik said, his gloved hand curling slowly into a fist, something Charles recognized as a nervous tic even without the anxiety tingeing Erik's thoughts.

"Save for the birds, we are alone here."

"I know." That faint smile flashed across Erik's face again before it vanished. "You and I have our differences," he continued in a softer tone, "but I hope that you would be honest with me even now." He paused momentarily, looking faintly pained. "Mystique has gone missing."

Charles blinked, disconcerted. "Raven?"

"Yes," Erik said, not mocking Charles's surprise. "I have not seen her in months."

"From what I understand," Charles said slowly, "she has done that often."

"Not like this," Erik said swiftly, shaking his head once. "We had been supposed to meet, but she never showed. Nor was there a message. I was concerned at first, and then I attempted to look for her." Erik looked troubled. "But I haven't seen any sign of her. Now, a month after I began my search, I contacted you."

"In hopes that I had heard something," Charles continued, understanding. "I haven't. I had no idea that she was missing, nor had I heard word of a disappearance in the community either."

"I had hoped that with your new contacts, you would have heard something I did not," Erik admitted.

"Even with those," Charles said, pressing his fingers into his thigh. The pressure on his fingers helped alleviate some of his anxiety, but not by much. "This is troubling."

"I know." Erik's smile was wry. "I know that you are a busy man, but I needed to find out. Now you know."

"Now I know," Charles echoed. "I will keep an eye open and let you know if there are any signs."

"I will continue searching," Erik said. "Not just anyone could get the drop on her, and it is troubling that something did."

"Or someone," Charles mused, thoughts turning over the people on the watch list of the SAC. "I will look out for her," he promised.

Erik inclined his head, smiling thankfully. "I know you will, Charles."

But he hadn't, Charles didn't say. Erik _hadn't_ known; he'd only guessed. But Charles could never say no to his old friend. Not and leave with a guiltless conscience.

"Until next time?" Charles asked, smiling faintly.

"Until next time," Erik confirmed, stretching a hand that Charles met gladly. "I know you have a wedding to get to, Charles. Give my congratulations to the happy couple, will you?"

Tony and Steve would doubtlessly be perturbed to receive such, but Charles would give them nonetheless. "I will," he said simply. "Safe tidings to you, old friend."

"And to you as well." Erik's eyes softened, and he clasped Charles's hand tightly once before letting it drop.

They parted ways, Charles returning to the jet and Erik watching as the ramp closed behind him. Charles could still see Erik standing out there by the time he reached the cockpit, and he nodded once at his old friend before starting the engines. Erik didn't move as the jet slowly lifted off, the breeze from the liftoff billowing through his cape.

After Erik vanished from his eyesight, Charles took a breath and closed his eyes.

It was nothing more than a meeting between old friends, but it was always difficult to leave.

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><p><strong>Like I said, setup for a larger tale. If you've read <span>The Price of Freedom<span> you might have some idea of where this is heading, but I think even then you might be surprised. If I can pull it off right, it's going to be quite a feat.**

**Please let me know your thoughts. :)**


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